"Asphyxia.............................."

Thursday, for me, was four hours “off-the-clock” time volunteered toward reassembling our Special-Ed unit back into something close to its same appearance held before summer break. Even though the economy has this state’s educational budget quite restricted in its expenses, the carpet in our room, needing to have been exterminated long ago, was finally tossed and replaced with tile flooring while we were off. Now the “fun”. All furniture, shelving, desks, tables removed in June, had to be restored to their former positions. Box after box of books, worksheets, art supplies and sensory materials needed to be unpacked and returned to their assigned locations. This job certainly has its benefits. Under the shiny veneer, however, the days pass like any other place of employment. People remain people. Business is business. Life is a lesson learned as you go… After an afternoon mostly involving boredom, I opted once again to observe all the enthusiasm being generated at this year’s version of VBS out at the church. Calamity Kate robbed the bank Wednesday evening and was now supposed to repent of the matter, having since been introduced to Christ. Friday’s climax is unknown to me, but what is quite apparent is the large number of teenagers and adults required to put it all together. Scenery, costumes, actors, teachers, crafts, refreshments – and the list doesn’t end there. Members give their time, their money, and their heart into making this work. In truth, I sometimes ponder why. Do any of these children really experience conversions? Do they grasp the Gospel in any depths as to its message unto us or do they walk away with no more than “seed sown”, potential buried in their mind to meet them at some future point of wondering if there is, indeed, any sense to it all? Habit, routine, questions, one foot after the other, the pace the same, but the reality being: history, somewhere in the journey, begins to outweigh whatever’s ahead. Yet, in the middle of it all, it seems to me, He is; and, without that anchor-line, even our “goodness” can taste flat……